The present invention relates to a door locking system, a striker plate for use in a door locking system, and a method for controlling a door locking system according to the independent claims.
A door locking system according to the species comprises a door lock situated in a door, an essentially planar striker plate, and a door opener.
The door lock has a lock latch, which is movable between a “locked” position projecting beyond the door lock cuff and a “unlocked” position retracted in the direction of the door lock cuff. Furthermore, a lock latch blocking device is provided on the door lock, which is movable between a “blocking” position and a “release” position. The lock latch blocking device is implemented for blocking the lock latch located in the “locked” position, i.e., in the position in which the lock latch is extended out of the door lock. For this purpose, the lock latch blocking device is functionally connected via a suitable mechanism to the lock latch, for example. Upon blocking of the lock latch in the “locked” position by the lock latch blocking device, which is actuated and/or located in the blocking position, a movement of the lock latch into the “unlocked” position is not possible. If the lock latch blocking device, in contrast, is moved from its “blocking” position into its “release” position, after the unblocking of the lock latch, it may be moved from the “locked” position into its “unlocked” position.
The lock latch blocking device is, for example, a tracer pin (latch blocking pin; deadbolt), which may be displaced between a position extended out of the lock latch, in which it is in its “release” position, toward the door lock into its “blocking position”. In this pressed and/or actuated position of the lock latch blocking device and in particular of the tracer pin, the lock latch is blocked—manipulative opening of the door from the outside by pressing back the lock latch is not possible. In the “non-actuated” position of the lock latch blocking device, in contrast, the lock latch is released and may move spring-loaded between the “locked” position and the “unlocked” position, for example. However, other types of lock latch blocking devices, such as auxiliary latches, etc., come into consideration.
Door locks of this type having such a lock latch blocking device and a lock latch correspondingly functionally connected thereto are established, for example, in the ANSI lock systems (ANSI=American National Standard Institute), which are predominantly used in the USA, Canada, and also many Asian countries. In the lock variants widespread in mortise construction and/or cylinder lock construction, the lock latch blocking device is positioned above and/or below the lock latch (in particular in the mortise lock) or is seated on the rear side of the lock latch on the planar face (in particular in the cylinder lock, for example, as shown in FIG. 1).
The door lock inset in a door leaf also has a driver control mechanism, which is implemented in such a way that by moving the lock latch from the “locked” position into the “unlocked” position, the lock latch blocking device is retracted from its extended “release position”, which releases the lock latch, in the direction of the door lock and/or in the direction of its “blocking position” and/or is “carried along” by the lock latch. Lock latch and lock latch blocking device thus move jointly in the direction of the door lock in this case from their particular extended positions. This may be achieved on one hand by pushing and/or pressing in the lock latch and on the other hand by a retraction of the lock latch toward the door lock which is controlled via a door knob, for example.
The door locking system according to the species also has an essentially planar striker plate having at least one lock latch recess, which the lock latch penetrates in the locked state of the door locking system in its “locked” position. For this purpose, the striker plate is inset in the door frame of a one-leaf door or in the cuff of the door leaf adjacent to the door leaf carrying the door lock in a two-leaf door. Door lock and striker plate are situated in relation to one another in such a way that the extended lock latch of the door lock in the extended state (“locked” position) engages in the lock latch recess of the striker plate when the door is closed and the lock latch blocking device is typically held by the striker plate or the blocking piece front edge of a door opener in its “blocking position” in the closed state of the door.
Furthermore, a door locking system according to the species comprises a door opener having a lock latch receptacle space, into which the lock latch projects in the locked state of the locking system. The door opener is typically situated on the striker plate for this purpose and inset in the door frame or, in two-leaf doors, in the door leaf. If the extended lock latch penetrates the lock latch recess of the striker plate when the door is closed and projects into the lock latch receptacle space of the door opener lying behind it, blocking of the door by the blocking piece situated in the door opener is achieved, against which the lock latch, which is located in the “locked” position, strikes in the opening direction of the door. For opening of the door mediated by the door opener, the blocking piece is released via an electromagnetically actuatable trigger mechanism, for example. If the door is now pressed in the door opening direction, the blocking piece is moved by the lock latch located in the “locked” position from the “lock latch blocking position” into a “lock latch release position” and the door may be pivoted open. Door openers of this type function especially reliably if the blocking piece is implemented as a pivot latch, so that the blocking piece pivots into the door opener interior from its “lock latch blocking position” into its “lock latch release position”.
The combination of a door opener with a door lock having lock latch blocking device and lock latch into a door locking system has made it necessary up to this point, however, to provide milled grooves on the door frame panel (frame visible side), so that the extended lock latch, located in the “locked” position, may be pushed out from the lock latch receptacle space in the door opening direction. In addition, to cover the widely distributed variants of both door lock embodiment types (mortise and cylinder lock), up to this point striker plates having adapters (so-called “lip brackets”) have been offered on the market, which typically form an integral unit ready for installation together with a pivot latch unit. A milled groove is also required in the door frame for installing these adapters in particular.
This prior art is illustrated in FIG. 2. The adapter, which adjoins the striker plate in the door opening direction, is used as a striker plate carrier, as a spacer to the door opener, and as a cover of a milled groove in the door frame panel, which is required for the installation. According to the preceding statements, this requirement is essentially based in the fact that the lock latch may only be moved from its “locked” position into its “unlocked” position as long as the lock latch is not blocked by the actuated lock latch blocking device. It has therefore been necessary up to this point, upon release of the lock latch by the door opener, either for the lock latch blocking device to be extended (=non-actuated) or for the extended and blocked lock latch in the “locked” position to be released solely by the blocking piece, which is pivoted into the lock latch release position, and the door thus being able to be pushed open, without the lock latch having to be shifted into its “locked” position for this purpose. To achieve precisely this opening possibility, the striker plate is typically interrupted in the opening direction of the door and has a generous recess together with the door frame here, through which the lock latch may be pushed out of the lock latch receptacle space upon opening of the door in the door opening direction in its “locked” position.
However, the embodiment typical up to this point of such a door locking system is already problematic in multiple regards. On one hand, the relatively large milled groove, which is required for the installation in the frame panel and for the opening capability of the door via the door opener, is disadvantageous in particular in regard to fire, heat, and noise protection. In addition, such a door locking system places increased requirements in regard to the installation and mounting effort, because significant reworking is necessary on standard door frames or leaves to obtain the milled groove. This has the result that a visually inconsistent impression of a door equipped with such a door locking system arises, so that this embodiment is also disadvantageous from aesthetic aspects. Finally, the milled groove also represents a security risk, because the large recess in the door frame represents a gateway for a manipulative access to the door opener.